Herders bij een hooiberg 1789 - 1793

Editor: So, this etching, "Herders bij een hooiberg," or "Herdsmen by a haystack," was created by Hendrik Meijer sometime between 1789 and 1793. It has a really serene and pastoral feel to it. What jumps out at you? Curator: Well, focusing on the etching itself, we must consider Meijer's choices regarding the materials and processes. Note the lines themselves, their density, direction and length. How does the labor inherent in this printmaking method shape the artwork’s message? Editor: I guess I hadn't thought about the process so much. It does seem deliberate and not carefree like it would if it was quickly sketched in paint. Curator: Precisely! Etching demanded skill and control. Consider, too, how this contrasts with the supposed 'naturalness' of the scene depicted: a humble haystack, ordinary people, animals, all placed together. Is Meijer trying to ennoble a rural labor force? Perhaps a Romantic sentimentality for a vanishing lifestyle? Or does the means of production reflect and thus expose the very myth of that life? Editor: That's an interesting point. It kind of complicates the "serene and pastoral feel" I initially had. Thinking about labor – creating an ideal might've only been affordable through their hard work in the fields… Curator: Absolutely. And if you also see the rise of industrialization at the end of the 18th century, perhaps his romanticism towards landscape is rooted in class identity. Editor: So, even what appears simple requires thinking about production and how cultural background affects choices about media. Thanks. I would have missed all of that without your point of view. Curator: Indeed. By questioning assumptions and studying the methods, even the most uncomplicated-looking art opens into meaningful dialogue.